Potatoes: Powerful Weight Loss Fighters!

Have you been cutting all of your favorite carbohydrates out of your diet? Well, I'm happy to tell you that the latest news about carbohydrates indicates that potatoes are back! If you thought potatoes, corn and rice made you fat, well you were mistaken, they actually help you burn fat. And, here's why.

In its nutrition section, Prevention Magazine (March 2008 Issue) provides a profile of the newest research (160 different studies) on "resistant starch", a type of dietary starch that "resists" digestion by the body similar to many fibers. What sets resistant starch apart is its weight loss and overall health improving benefits. This latest research is considered to be one of the biggest breakthroughs to hit nutrition circles in years.

In a nutshell, what are the benefits of resistant starch? Resistant starch:

1. Increases your calorie burn after a meal.
   
2. Shuts down hunger hormones and makes you feel full.
   
3. May prevent cancer by protecting the lining of the colon.
   
4. May fight diabetes and heart disease by helping to control blood sugar levels.
   
5. May boost your immune system by increasing the growth of probiotics, the good bacteria in your digestive system that is needed to help you fight off illness.
   

Now, don't go out and eat a whole bunch of potatoes, corn and rice and expect to lose weight. Read on for the right way to reincorporate some of your favorite carbohydrates.

Resistant starch is created when starchy foods are "cooled". When a potato is cooked for example, it absorbs water and swells. As the potato cools, much of the starch crystallizes forming "resistant starch." So, be sure to cool your starches at room temperature or in the refrigerator prior to eating. Don't reheat them because this breaks down the starch crystals and the benefits mentioned above are essentially gone.

Here are 6 of "The Best Resistant Starch-Rich Foods" you can add back into your diet to help you lose weight:

1. Beans
2. Bananas (slightly green)
   
3. Potatoes and Yams
4. Barley
5. Brown Rice
6. Corn

There is no guideline yet as to how much "resistant starch" you should be incorporating in your diet, however 8g is a good start according to some researchers. For most women, that means adding another 1/2 cup to 1 cup of cooled resistant starch foods to their diet each day.

I don't know about you, but this news made me really happy because I love potatoes. Now I can enjoy them again guilt-free.

Enjoy your new diet incorporating "resistant starch". Your family will be happy too, I bet.

Have a great day!

Sandy Huard, President, Women's Health Supply International